Visitors at the National Planetarium in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night had the opportunity to witness the planets Saturn and Jupiter through observation activities organized by the agency.
There were eight telescopes provided for the visitors to observe the two planets more clearly.
However, due to the cloudy sky, the two planets could only be seen at 12.30am, and by then, many visitors had already left.
The remaining visitors patiently waited for another observation activity, the partial lunar eclipse phenomenon, which occurred early on Sunday.
The partial lunar eclipse phenomenon started from 3.35am to 4.52am, according to Planetarium Science Officer Mohd Zamri Shah Mastor.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and the moon align, but not perfectly. This creates a visually striking contrast as only a portion of the darkest part of Earth’s shadow covers the moon.
“The observation of the partial lunar eclipse was scheduled to take place from 2am to 6.26am. However, the effects of the eclipse appeared on the surface of the moon at 3.35am. About 12% of the moon’s surface appeared dark, reaching its maximum at 4.52am,” Mohd Zamri Shah Mastor told Bernama.
Mohd Jamaluddin Ismail, 48, who was with his family, expressed their excitement in witnessing the planets Saturn and Jupiter, as well as the partial lunar eclipse.
“This is the second time we have visited the National Planetarium. We are truly interested in astronomy and witnessing these natural phenomena is amazing,” he said.
The uniqueness of the partial lunar eclipse and the appearance of Saturn and Jupiter attracted hundreds of people to the National Planetarium.
Keyword: eclipse, moon, Saturn, Jupiter, National Planetarium
